Did the Irish national football team turn their backs during the Israeli anthem? Nothing could be further from the truth! The photo, more precisely a screenshot, is circulating on social media, showing the players in green shirts with their backs to the camera, arguably demonstrating the abnormal position during a national anthem before the match. In this article, we reveal the truth that negates this false narrative, taking into consideration the original video of the event.
For those in a hurry
- The image shown does not correspond to the moment indicated in the narration.
- The image is a screenshot taken from a YouTube video where athletes turn their backs during the Irish anthem, not the Israeli one.
- The gesture is explained by the Irish Football Federation itself: it had turned towards the area of the stadium where the tricolor flag was flying.
Analyzes
Here is an example of sharing fake news, published by the Facebook page “Critica Senza Bavaglio”:
During the match between the national teams of Israel and Ireland, during the Israeli anthem, the Irish athletes turned their backs
You can check via the same Youtube video:
The video that denies the anti-Israel narrative
The match pitted the under-17 women's national teams of Israel and Ireland. We find the video published on Youtube on February 23, 2024, where we see that during the Israeli anthem (below, minute 3:03) the Irish players were in their places and not with their backs to the camera as shown in the screenshot that accompanies the false story.
Once finished, the Irish players applaud their opponents and turn around as soon as they begin to sing their national anthem (minute 4:06).
Why did the Irish players turn around? The federation's explanation
In an article published on Irish weatherthe FAI clarifies the misunderstanding:
The Football Association of Ireland later issued a statement to correct “a misinterpretation” that the team had turned away during the Israeli anthem. “Both teams faced the same direction during the Israeli national anthem before the Irish team turned to the tricolor, as is tradition among many Irish teams, to play the Amhrán na bhFiann before to turn around to conclude the usual pre-match protocols.”
Conclusions
Several users, through an image, spread a distorted narrative regarding the football match between the Ireland and Israel under-17 national teams. According to social media posts, Irish footballers turned their backs during the singing of the Israeli anthem. In fact, the athletes had turned towards the Irish tricolor when singing their anthem. The Israeli anthem had been sung earlier and the Irish footballers had turned towards the crowd, while applauding their Israeli opponents.
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